404 
«« When I reached the summit of the hill, 
I looked around me, and to my sorrow per- 
ceived before me Benmore, in its fair day's 
glory, with its lofty top piercing the clouds, 
and at its base Loch-na-keall. I exclaimed, 
Dueall, we arewrong : how shall we get back 
again down. the dreadful zig zag? Dugail 
hung his head, and confessed he had never: 
one the horse tract through Glenmore, but 
re had often travelled (walked) over the hills 
-to the west side of Mull. 
‘« We kept along the ridge of the hill for 
another highland mie, and then descended 
toa glen, in which is a small lake, and a hut 
ox two at the end of it. 
«¢ T was rejoiced at the sight of any human 
trace, and sent the boy to enquire, if thetrack 
we were in led to Penny Cross. It did, and 
we made what speed we could through the 
rugged glen. We were told by travellers 
terallceres whom. we soon after met, that if 
we did not travel very hard, we should not 
reach Penny Cross by sun-set. We had lost 
our way once, and were not very clear about 
that we were pursuing; therefore the intel- 
ligence received from the walkers was not 
very egrecable, 
<< After going through beds of rivers, and 
in every imaginable uncouth track, we came 
within sight of a hut, at which Dugall said, 
“ eatables might sometimes be procured; but 
he did not think what we should there ‘find 
would be worth secking, particularly as it 
would delay us, it being somewhat out of our 
-toad.’ 
** Other burns and rough passes were to 
be surmounted ;, atlast we ‘came to a spot, 
from which two tracks branched ; one, 1 be- 
lieve, leads to Moy, at the head of Loch Buy, 
the other to the head of Loch Scridain. Vhe 
pass to Moy being in shade, appeared tre- 
mendous, amongst lofty black crags. Ours, 
although in sunshine, was terrific enough. 
It was along the side of a precipice, (which 
we had to climb and descend,) worse than 
the pass, already mentioned, on the bank of 
‘Loch-na-keall; and it had no trees or shrubs 
to caver its coarse terrific nakedness. 
«« I got off my horse for safety and rest, 
and sat down on a piece of rock projecting 
from a lofty range of broken cliffs above and 
below me, at the foot of which is a wild 
lain, with a river flowing towards Loch Seri- 
dain. Thad but a short portion of provi- 
sions with me, not foreseeing that I should 
lose my way, nor knowing, Glenmore to be 
a wilderness of considerable length, through 
which I was to wander. 
«< On the penmel of my. saddle hung a 
bag, containing dvawingimplements,in which 
I had brought three or four biscuits from 
Aros. Inasmall maliogany case, containing 
hartshorn and lavender drops, and a cure for 
bruises, I had some wine, also a tumbler 
glass, spoon, knifeand fork. I produced my 
‘« * Part of an impromptu taken from a book at the iny at Lanark, where those 
the falls of Clyde iasert their names, und observations too, if they picase.” 
BRITISH TOPOGRAPHY AND ANTIQUITIES. 
slender repast, which required none of the 
latter articles, and shared it with my guides. 
The poor beasts were left to nibble what they 
could find; alas! they,looked for grass, and 
found nothing but ‘stones. 
‘© T walked down the terrific precipice, and — 
r 
advanced, not without doubt whether we 
were in the right road or not. At length, 
we came to a few huts, where women came _ 
out to gaze at us. I beseeched Dugall to en- 
quire of every human form he met, if we 
were in the road to Penny Cross. When I 
heard something like the sound of pshe, (it 
is,) in answer to Dugall’s interrogatory, 1 was — 
rejoiced, for 1 began to be very weary, and © 
the sun was fast declining. Notwithstand- 
ing my fatigue, the scenery beforeme of Loch 
Scridain, and the bold mountains on the back 
ground of Kilfinachen, pleased me exceed- 
ingly. 
Loch Leven, from the elms which formerly 
grew on its banks; but I suppose, now the 
elms are gone, Scridain may be more appli- 
cable to it. In my wearied state, when t ar- 
rived ‘at the head of Loch Scridain, how — 
thankful should I have been to the Duke of — 
Argyle, had his grace established an ina | 
there.” 
The want of inns in this island is par- 
ticularly regretted by our tourist; who 
says, that it would be impossible for per-— 
sons less ewfhusiastic than herself, to “ get — 
a view of the numberless curiosities in 
the isle of Mull; and that most travel- 
lers execrate the island as» a_ barren, 
dreary, dreadful district,” though in the 
interior and southern parts of it there is 
much “ interesting and delightful sce- 
nery.”’ 
«© AsT proceeded along the margin of Loch 
Scridain,” continues Mrs. Murray, ‘‘ the road 
became very rugged, or perhaps my extreme 
fatigue made me think it worse than it really 
was. About two miles before J came to 
Penny Cross, I rode through the channel of 
a burn, the bed of which was full of huge 
stones, brought by torrents froma lofty crag” 
within sight, the hollow sides of which 
must, in hard rains, exhibit magnificent cas- 
eades ; but they were not in beauty the day. 
I possed near them, and it was well for me 
they were not; for had they been 
<< Grumbling, 
And leaping and tumbling, 
And hopping and skipping, 
And foaming and dripping, 
And strugpling and toiling, 
Aind bubbiing and boiling, 
@ And beating and jumping, 
And bellowing and thumpiag*, 
I should not have been able to have crossed 
who visit! 
Loch Scridain is sometimes called — 
) 
